S

36 METRO Monday, August 24, 2015

8 Day Holiday from £799pp

INCLUDED IN THE PRICE• Return flights to Nice or Genoa • Visits to Nice, St Paul de Vence, Cannes and St-Tropez, Monte Carlo, Italy’s ‘Riviera of Flowers’ • Seven nights’ bed and breakfast accommodation at the Quality Hotel in Menton • Coach travel and transfers • Fully escortedSingle supplement applies

THIS wonderful week-long holiday offers plenty of time to relax and enjoy the glorious Riviera surroundings, and also includes four wonderful excursions taken in the company of our friendly, knowledgeable tour manager.

www.newmarket.travel/sdr18458

To book or request a brochure call 0844 448 1901 QUOTE SDRNEWMARKET PROMOTIONS/AIR HOLIDAYS LTD. ABTA V787X/V7812 ATOL Protected 2325

Nice, Monte Carlo & St Tropez

Departs April - October 2015From Edinburgh

8 Day Holiday from £689ppINCLUDED IN THE PRICE• Return flights direct to Prague • Seven nights’ bed and breakfast accommodation Prague (3), Budapest (2), and Vienna (2) • Fascinating guided tours in Prague, Budapest and Vienna • Visit to Bratislava • Comfortable scenic coach travel and transfers • Fully escorted by a friendly, experienced Tour ManagerSingle supplement applies

DISCOVER and explore a trio of Europe’s finest cities and their delightful surrounding countryside, with included guided tours in each.

A visit to Slovakian capital Bratislava completes this fully escorted tour.

www.newmarket.travel/sdr18808

To book or request a brochure call 0844 448 1901 QUOTE SDRNEWMARKET PROMOTIONS/AIR HOLIDAYS LTD. ABTA V787X/V7812 ATOL Protected 2325

Prague, Vienna & BudapestDeparts March – October 2015From Edinburgh

TRAVEL CENTRETRAVEL CENTRETRAVEL CENTRETRAVEL CENTRE

EscapeEscapeEscapeEscape

Travel | Culture | Adventure

IT’S ONE of the most beautiful spots in Britain and you would be hard pushed to find a more iconic image of Scotland.

Castle Stalker sits on its own islet, boasting a dramatic backdrop of mountains and, on the morning I’m standing on a beach looking towards it with my family, there is a healthy dose of mist just to give it more of that shortbread tin image.

So surely all I need to do to take a decent picture with my phone is point and shoot, right? Well, no actually. Rebecca, Callum, Freya and I are with Loch Visions wildlife photographer Philip Price, whose Wildlife Hub (www.wildlifehub.co.uk) overlooks Argyll’s Castle Stalker on Loch Laich Nature Reserve.

Visitors have the chance to see trout and bees up close at the Hub, with herons and seals on remote cameras and the piece de resistance, the chance to hunt like an eagle – a stunning 360 degree virtual reality film available to watch on

Samsung Gear VR headsets. Philip also offers wildlife photography courses and so here we were on the beach being challenged to take great pictures with our phones.

And, after sharing some of the tricks of his trade with us such as the importance of composition and framing, he then tells us to go off and use our surroundings – and imagination – to take some interesting shots.

Surely I couldn’t mess this up, could I? Well ... I

have to admit, being subsequently told that my children had grasped almost every one of his ideas better than I had left me pleased for them – and soon left them with the slightly ridiculous sight of their dad trying to climb a tree to frame a castle made famous by its part in Monty Python And The Holy Grail.

Philip’s true passion, though, is for wildlife and he didn’t miss a trick when he excitedly pointed out the passing overhead of a white-tailed sea

eagle – the biggest bird of prey you will find in the wild in Britain.

After our time with Philip, which we all agreed had been great fun, we headed down the coast to Oban, the seafood capital of Scotland, before heading back to our base in Taynuilt.

We were staying at a classic coaching inn, the Taynuilt Hotel (www.taynuilthotel.co.uk), which has been at the heart of the village for centuries.

As well as providing a range of modern en-suite rooms all named after lochs, the hotel, under the management of David Lapsley, is making particularly good use of Argyll’s abundant food sources, with Isle of Mull scallops, potted Loch Awe trout and locally handpicked Girolle mushrooms among its specialities.

Taynuilt itself is also an excellent base to see and explore some of Argyll’s beautiful scenery, including Ben Cruachan, one of the finest Munros in the southern Highlands.

If you go, just remember to have your camera with you.

Smile... it’s all for the camera

by Stephen deal

Stunning; Rebecca Deal’s photo of Castle Stalker, and inset, Philip Price’s sea eagle shot